Logistics were interesting for this trip since Leo flew in from his base in Berkeley, California on Friday morning while Susan arrived later that day from Washington, DC where she was attending a conference. I drove down from Atlanta and was able to pick Leo up at the New Orleans airport and we both picked up Susan that evening. She didn’t arrive until late so Leo and I, along with a friend of his from Berkeley, partook of an excellent early dinner at LÜKE, a restaurant styled in the manner of an old Franco-German brasserie that is located on St. Charles street in the business district.
We stayed at the Wyndham Garden Hotel Baronne Plaza which was conveniently located two blocks from Canal Street and a short walk to the French Quarter and the riverfront. The Barrone is in a remodeled former 1930-ish Sear building. It was nice but not outstanding, however it did meet our needs and provided an on-premise parking garage.
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| Leo with his team of presenters |
Leo’s presentation went flawlessly, which was good since his academic advisor from UC Berkeley, Dr. Frank Worrell, was in attendance. Fortunately the presentation was on Saturday morning so Leo could relax for the rest of the day. It was a joy to watch Leo and Susan network and talk in-depth with other education professionals about varied problems and issues. I couldn't help but think how much Naomi would have enjoyed attending. After Leo’s gig we were ready for a quick lunch of po-boys and muffalettas at Mike Serio’s joint on St. Charles Street (good, but skip and muffaletta and go for the shrimp po-boy).
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| Po-boys and muffalettas |
During the day on Saturday and Sunday Leo and Susan attended numerous symposiums and presentations while I, realizing that all this educational stuff was way over my head, got reacquainted with the New Orleans sites I remembered from past visits. Luckily we hit New Orleans on “French Quarter Festival” weekend and multiple outdoor stages along the riverfront and in the French Quarter blasted out a diverse mix of local music. At one event I was surprised to find myself standing next to Leigh Westcott, Susan’s good friend from Gwinnett County Public Schools, and her daughter, Carlie. Small world.
Saturday evening Susan and I accompanied Leo and some friends to dinner at Jacques-Imo’s, a famous New Orleans restaurant featuring authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine. This place was so refreshing after the crush of people in downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter. The drive to the restaurant along Magazine street took us through the Warehouse/Arts district with its art galleries and living condos, then into the Garden District past numerous mid-19th century Greek Revival and Italianate homes, and finally into the Uptown area which is a haven for eclectic shopping and numerous coffee shops and funky restaurants. Jacques-Imo’s had to be the best in the area. It offered excellent and moderately priced food in a multi-room, multi-tiered old nondescript building. We walked through the small bustling kitchen on the way to our table and were amazed at how much kidding and bantering went on between the servers and cooks. They knew how to turn work into fun.
Leo took an early Sunday morning run while Susan and I walked along the riverfront and through the French Quarter. An afternoon excursion took us to the New Orleans City Park where we walked the beautiful grounds surrounding the Museum of Art. Later that day Leo attended another symposium while Susan and I went to the famous Tipitina’s.
I have to admit that after watching Leo’s talk, Tipitina’s was the highlight of the trip, at least to me. For years I’ve heard about this dance hall famous for hosting the biggest names in Cajun music. It looks just like any old-time juke joint that can still be found in many small Louisiana prairie towns, but this place was not founded until 1977 when a group of music enthusiasts created it as a permanent place for Professor Longhair to perform in his final years. The Professor died in 1980 but the joint remains a popular draw for music lovers. Over time, as other music styles become popular, Tipitina’s opened its doors to other genres. It is not unusual to find a wide range of performers, both famous and up-and-coming, booked back to back on consecutive nights. As an example, later this month, within a matter of days, Tipitina’s will host Egg The Homeless, J.J. Grey & Mofro, and Bruce Hornsby.
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| Tipitina's in the background. I can now cross this off my bucket-list |
Susan and I were here for the famous Sunday afternoon fais-do-do, fronted by Bruce Daigrepont for the last 14 years. He plays a very traditional type of Cajun music although he’ll occasionally break into an infectious Zydeco tune. Susan and I danced and danced and danced, and only rarely took a short break. It took us a while to fine-tune our two-step but we fell right in sync with the waltzes and jitterbugs.
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| Bruce Daigrepont at Tipitina's |
Later that evening, back at the hotel, we came to the conclusion that we had seen enough of New Orleans and were ready to head for home. Leo made a few calls to the airlines and instead of flying out of New Orleans for San Francisco on Monday, he would ride back to Atlanta with us and fly out of Atlanta on Tuesday morning. So on Monday we drove nine hours home and immediately went by Naomi and Louie’s house for dinner. (Thanks guys, the food was great. Naomi – I’m sorry I ate your guordo-laced burger, but it was good). Leo stayed to visit with them for a while, hooked up with some other friends later, arrived back to our place in the wee-hours, went out to breakfast with his dad early in the morning, and by 9 AM Susan was taking him to the airport. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out as planned and Leo’s flight was delayed, causing him to miss a connection and he didn’t get back home until late Tuesday evening.
What a wild and fun weekend. I’m all wore out and didn’t do a tenth of what Leo did. I might just guiltlessly sleep the day away. One more note. If you noticed this blog post was a bit heavy on eating and music then I plead guilty. That’s what The Big Easy is known for. Enjoy and let the good times roll: laissez les bons temps rouler!
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